Falcons Cruise By Eagles

Atlanta came into Philly as the underdog if you ask Vegas. They completely dominated the home team, however, cruising to a 30-17 victory. The Falcons jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first half, and only allowed the Eagles to get as close as they did when they took their foot off the gas. They likely could have put more points on the board if they truly wanted to. Matt Ryan was basically flawless, completing 22 of 29 for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Eagles have some great playmakers on defense, so these stats aren’t inflated. This was their first game without former DC Juan Castillo, but the Eagles are still very much in the playoff mix. Julio Jones was the main target, hauling in 5 balls for 123 yards and score. No other receiver had more than 38 yards. With a big lead, the running game got a little more action than usual. Turner was mostly ineffective, however, rushing for just 58 yards on 24 carries. Rodgers on the other hand did well with 60 yards on only 8 carries.

The defensive side of the ball was better than I predicted. The way to beat Vick and the Eagles this season has been winning the turnover battle. Neither team turned the ball over this game. The Falcons beat Vick by simply playing good defense all game. He didn’t make mistakes, but he couldn’t make plays either. He had just 191 yards on 35 pass attempts. LeSean McCoy was equally unimpressive for most of the game, with just 45 rushing yards with 2.8 YPC. There was constant pressure on the QB, which lead to several incompletions. This is probably one of the better games Atlanta has played on defense this year.

Another well balanced game for the Falcons. They simply dominated on both sides of the ball against a pretty good team. With so few teams in the NFL really dominating like Atlanta, it makes what they are doing even more impressive. With a 7-0 record, the Falcons have a game with Dallas coming up on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys are how they seem to be every year, up and down. It has been a roller coaster season for them, but they have the talent to beat most teams in the league. However, playing at home and hotter than any team in the NFL, Atlanta will be strong favorites.